Mice
When the weather starts to get colder mice will try to enter your house to stay warm for the winter. They can fit into the smallest openings (1/4”) around the exterior of your house. Two of the most common areas where mice enter are garage doors and bulkhead. Other areas are around utility and cable entries. These areas should be checked and sealed with caulking, wire mesh or steel wool. Make sure you use materials that mice cannot chew through.
Garage doors– Most garage doors will not stop mice regardless of the efforts to seal. You need to look inside garage and find any openings that allow mice to enter house. These areas need to be sealed up properly.
Bulkheads– These entries to basement are made mostly of metal. The doors overlap and create a small opening where they overlap. This area can be sealed temporarily with steel wool. Once you open door after sealing the “seal is broken” and has to be re-sealed again. If you have an interior door to basement you should check for openings around framework. Make sure the door is sealed correctly.
If you do not have interior door inside bulkhead we recommend installing one. Make sure frame and bottom of door is sealed correctly.
Preventative measures Homeowners can take to prevent mice:
Do not feed the birds– Birdfeeders allow for seed to fall on ground. Mice will find this food and continue to feed in these areas as long as there is a source. Most birdfeeders are in close proximity to house and this will allow for mice to move closer to house and find openings and enter.
If you choose to feed birds we recommend using suet. There is very little fallout of suet to ground
Storage- Storage of materials around foundation and under decks allow for the mice to find a harborage in these areas. Clear out all stored items from areas outside of house.
Firewood- Mice will live in wood piles. Storing of firewood within close proximity of house allow mice to live in stacked firewood. Try to stack firewood away from house.
Sheds– We have never seen a shed, mice cannot enter. They use these as their summer homes and seek out warmer places to live when cold weather arrives, your house. We recommend using snap traps in sheds. These traps need to be maintained on a daily basis. Be careful not to allow children and pets in shed while trapping. Do not use cheese for bait; it will dry out very quickly. We recommend using chocolate, cotton balls (nesting material), slim jims.
Atlantis Pest Management provides service for mice that includes sealing of entry points of your home. All work is warranted. If interested in this service please click here.
